Think you could eat that Bearwich from Bear’s Smokehouse in Windsor or Hartford? This shot of their new bbq-infused food challenge makes it seem not that bad, not bad at all. After all, if you finish this bad boy in 45 minutes (by yourself of course), you’ll get $500! Well . . . we’re sorry to say that appearances can be deceiving!

Every year, Food & Wine Magazine is on the lookout for America’s best new chefs. So, they put together a list of 100 noteworthy, groundbreaking chefs from 10 different areas then have their readers vote on their favorites from each region. This year in the New England region there’s a familiar face: Jeffrey Lizotte, Executive Chef of ON20 in Hartford.

ChowdaQuest, the quest for the fest, was a huge success this year and it placed some amazing restaurants into the 2014 ChowdaFest competition through your votes. Going down on SOUPer Bowl Sunday, 2/2, from 11 am to 3 pm, ChowdaFest VI promises to be even more awesomerest than last year! Tickets will be just $10 and benefits The Connecticut Food Bank! We’ll have more details to share with you shortly, but in addition to everything that makes Chowdafest great like sampling chowders and voting for your favorites, there are tons of new things that you’ll love! And, speaking of liquid goodness, check out the winning competitors for ChowdaFest 2014 to be held at Webster Bank Arena:

Some people sell chocolates, some people grow mustaches, some people run marathons, and there are even some people who go from door to door to raise money for their favorite charities. Well, “some people” have never met Todd Ruggere of Grafton, MA. Last year he traveled to every single town in Massachusetts (351 of them) and had a beer there. His hope was to meet some great people, have some great beer, but most importantly raise some money for children’s cancer research.

But, how could he expect the amazing reaction that he would receive from people who were following his journey? They’d give him suggestions of where to have a drink, would invite him over for a beer, and they’d set up amazing events upon his arrival that would help him to raise about $40,000 by the end of his trip. But, he’s not stopping there.

Down below you’ll find the list of the semi-finalists in the following categories: Casual Restaurant, Upscale Restaurant, Caterer, Chef, and Pernod Ricard Mixologist of the Year. Hopefully you’ll also notice that there are lots of restaurants from Fairfield County that are on this list. Show your love and vote in your favorites!

We’ve covered ChowdaFest for the past few years and we’ve been happy to see it grow into one of the most popular events in Connecticut. Really, what’s better? You pay just a small amount of money to go around and taste chowder after chowder, soup after soup, then vote on your favorites. And, at the end of the day, you feel good knowing that you’ve helped Connecticut Food Bank. Now, the next ChowdaFest isn’t until February 2, 2014, but there’s lots going on before then…namely the brand new experience called ChowdaQuest.

Which of these soups from Ginger Man will you like the most?

ChowdaQuest is “The Quest for the Fest” and will put even more power in the hands of hungry chowda-sippers. This all new experience came about due to so many restaurants wanting to be involved, but only having a limited amount of spots in the competition. All you need to do is check out any of the restaurants that we’ve listed below, ask for their soup sampler, then vote for your favorite soup by heading to ChowdaQuest.com. You get one vote per restaurant per valid e-mail address, so make sure you’re voting for your absolute favorite soup from each restaurant. The restaurants with the most votes by Thanksgiving will get spots in ChowdaFest 2014, so make sure that you support your favorite restaurants by voting! While you’re on the voting page, make sure to enter the Sierra Nevada contest. Just explain where your favorite place to drink Sierra Nevada is and you just might win dinner for two at any of the restaurants that are participating in ChowdaQuest 2014.

Here is the massive list of restaurants that are participating in ChowdaQuest 2014. Some of the restaurants are still waiting to confirm with Jim (nothing next to their name), but will be ready to go shortly:

We love filling up our week and weekends with fun events, especially the kind of events that have something to do with food. Brewery tours, brewery tastings, wine tours, wine tastings, spirit tours, spirit tastings, farm tours, farm dinners, beer dinners, wine dinners, spirit dinners, festivals, fairs, bashes, cooking demos, and more keep us going all year long. And, that’s why we decided to create our Nomworthy Events. Although we’ve had this feature on our site for a while (it’s in the top headings under our banner), we’ve been continually filling it up with great events throughout Fairfield County…and sometimes just a bit over the border.

The premise of Farm to Chef Week (September 15-21) in Connecticut is pretty simple. Use the freshest, most local ingredients from Connecticut farms at restaurants and different venues throughout the state. While some of the restaurants that are participating such as ON20 in Hartford, Zinc in New Haven, or Rizzuto’s might not surprise you because they already make good use of local ingredients, there might be some surprises for you on the list. We’re talking about local schools like Branford, Newtown, Westport, and Wilton as well as colleges such as Fairfield University and University of Connecticut in Storrs.

When you visit any of the restaurants listed below here during Connecticut Farm to Chef Week, you can expect special menus and offerings. Each participant must offer at least four foods or courses that feature one or more Connecticut Grown items. And, if a venue allows alcohol, they need to also offer at least one Connecticut wine. As for the farms listed below, they will be offering specialty items and produce during CT Farm to Chef Week. Just check here to see what each farm is offering!’ Continue reading →

Mastercard is standing up to cancer again this year with their Stand Up To Cancer campaign. All you need to do is buy at least a $10 meal at any restaurant with your Mastercard. With every purchase they will donate a penny to Stand Up To Cancer or 2 cents if you make a PayPal transaction at the restaurant, up to $4,000,000. While a penny might not seem like a lot, that money will add up very quickly. Already, since July 12, $1,280,280 has been raised! The Stand Up To Cancer Mastercard campaign goes until September 28, 2013, so get out there and get eating! Normally, we’d create a list of our favorite spots for you to check out, but you see that all the time with our posts and our annual OmNomy Awards. So, we thought we’d ask you all, our fellow OmNomivores:

What’s your favorite spot in Fairfield County? Let us know down below by commenting or by talking with us on Twitter or Facebook. We’ll update the list down below. Let’s all take a stand against cancer!

August 1. It’s a day each year when we pause to remember the brilliant men who loaded hops into beer to preserve it on a long voyage on ships to India. We salute you, o’ brave and tenacious travelers. And, we thank you! Your invention far surpasses the usefulness of things such as wheels, pulleys, levels, and even filtered water.

Yes, it’s on this day when we profess our love of IPAs! Say it loud, say it proud: I drink India Pale Ales! And, to help you fuel up this day, we’re providing you with a list of IPAs made locally that you should try. Also, please vote below by Thursday (8/8) for your favorite CT IPA. We’ll announce a first, second, third, and OmNomCT choice winner next Friday, 8/9.